Down the road less travelled
IN the age of fake news and independently produced content online, higher education plays a vital role in helping us understand what responsible and ethical modern-day journalism can and should be.
Journalism is a valid and necessary area of study that is relevant today and in the future. Yet, journalism study remains a little under the radar for prospective students and parents as a higher education option in Malaysia.
Sarah Anne Lee Cui Ying (pic), a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences graduate from the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University Malaysia, shares some insights:
“As a person who took the path less travelled and majored in journalism and writing, I have learnt that the way people receive and understand important news items largely depends on how they are produced, written and published.
“In the first year of study,
I was exposed to the practical aspects of journalism and learnt how to write and publish news using different media platforms such as radio, television and the Internet. To do this, I also had to learn how to use various recording equipment and editing software.
“The School of Arts and Social Sciences provided me with these resources, which allowed me to acquire insight into key broadcasting industries, and I learnt to work in distinct reporting scenarios that included studio set-ups and live updating of news online.
“My second year of study gave me an awareness and understanding of global news production that included business news, a unique form of journalism that I personally found difficult due to lack of interest but later enjoyed.
“Unlike hard news, these areas have fewer demands for immediacy and require ongoing research of global and local businesses.
“I also learnt to interpret company and stakeholder reports. Checking facts and confirming them through external news sources proved to be important and part of the research process, which took a lot of patience and practice.
“When year three came around, the topics focused more on world events and assignments became increasingly fun. Key journalism skills such as editing and producing stories returned to the spotlight. I was tasked with keeping up with different news standards around the world. Understanding those nuances proved to be challenging.
“In addition, world events occur at great speeds and all at the same time. It was fascinating to learn how those events linked in different ways and impacted one another.
“One of the more memorable assignment tasks required me to create audio stories using audio blocks and sound clips found on the Internet. Through this simple audio editing task, I managed to produce a corny western horror audio piece consisting of stampedes, cowboy whoops, beastly growls and screams.
“Being creative 24/7 can be mentally exhausting, but the opportunities before me have kept me busy. Out of my writing portfolio, I managed to get a short story published in a local anthology titled Champion Fellas.
“Having had the ambition of becoming a creative writer, I made the decision to undertake journalism studies at Monash Malaysia to develop my writing and media production skills. Now that I have graduated, those skills have proven to be relevant.
“Within a year of being a full-time working adult, I found myself writing freelance, delving into travel writing and taking up projects requiring videography work.
“The critical research skills that I have acquired in my degree have taught me to appreciate the intricacies of news production in fast-evolving media landscapes.
“I feel much more prepared to differentiate fake and real news. More importantly, I know how to produce the latter in a responsible and ethical fashion.”
For more information about the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Monash University Malaysia, visit www.sass.monash.edu.my.